Intelligent Aeroponic System for Real-time Control and Monitoring of Lactuca Sativa Production

Urban farming is becoming more popular in recent years as the community began to focus more on the product's quality that is now being consumed. Aeroponics is one of the new urban farming techniques that is more effective than traditional farming since it involves growing plants without soil using nutrient solutions sprayed into the roots. However, proper monitoring of the cultivation environment and control of environmental factors is crucial for efficient aeroponic farming. This study focuses on developing an IoT-based-intelligent monitoring and controlling mechanism of an aeroponic system for the effective production of lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Raspberry Pi is employed for the system's real-time monitoring capabilities of growth parameters in the data collection system based on temperature, relative humidity with respect to the root system, and light intensity. The system is capable of automatically adjusting the amount of light each sample will receive over time and automatically activates the thermoelectric cooling system, exhaust, and mister anytime the ambient temperature is too high for plant development. The monitoring system effectively logged the expected growth parameters per minute upon testing and was able to store the logged data in a Comma-Separated Value (CSV) file format. The recorded values retrieved by the system from the sensors for temperature, humidity, and light intensity were within the range of the settling, threshold, or daily amount. The real-time data can be accessed successfully in the developed web application via smartphones or personal computers. This system offers a positive financial impact on society and its consumers.